Expert PKP Tr12 Steam Locomotive III (DCC-Sound)

Expert PKP Tr12 Steam Locomotive III (DCC-Sound)

1:87 scale model produced by Piko. This model is ready-to-run straight out of the box and would make a excellent addition to any model railway collection.

Features:

• DCC Sound Model
• Best suited to Epoch III Model Railways
• This model mainly operates in Poland
• This model is decorated in PKP company markings
• This model is best suited to 422mm radius curves

Details

Between 1897 and 1919, Austrian locomotive factories delivered over 830 locomotives of the 170 series for heavy freight traffic. As saturated steam technology became outdated, a superheated version with a shortened boiler and a single steam dome was developed for higher efficiency, while retaining the proven frame and drive of the original 170 series.

These modernised locomotives were supplied to Czechoslovakia, Italy and Poland, where they became highly significant as the Tr12 series. Poland initially ordered 82 locomotives from Floridsdorf Locomotive Factory and two from Wiener Neustädter Locomotive Factory. Domestic production soon followed to meet high demand for powerful freight locomotives. Polish Tr12s were upgraded with larger superheaters, extended chimneys, Westinghouse air brakes, and modified cabs, making them highly effective for freight operations.

The Tr12 was mainly deployed in southern Poland, where its strong steam performance and low axle load provided particular advantages on challenging lines. After 1945, only a few locomotives remained in operational condition, with a total of 39 Tr12s returning to PKP service. The last examples were retired in 1969. Combining performance, maintainability, and economy, the Tr12 marked Poland’s transition from saturated to superheated steam, becoming a milestone in European locomotive construction and leaving a lasting legacy in heavy freight operations.